10K Training Group, 8K's are welcome too

First 10k (Read 661 times)

Hi All,
I don't know if I introduced myself, but I'm 53, male and started running just over 6 months ago. CR crashed 2 weeks after I began running, and then I found refuge here.
My strategy for this race was simple: finish and avoid coming in last! Mission accomplished, but only just. Came in 308 out of 310 finishers. Time- 1:03:05Race ReportEvent: 10 Km du Côteau (Le Côteau, France) open national championships
Starting time : 9 pm
Course : Flat. 3 laps around the town center (mostly side streets, turnaround on main street)
Weather : 60 degrees, no wind, rained all day until 6 pm
Finishers : 310
Complaints : No distance markers, complicated course, start and finish lines not in the same place (finish was off the main street in a parking lot behind some buildings)
Although the weather was cool and it had rained all day, crowds lined the race course and the sidewalk cafes were jammed as I took my place at the back of the pack. Food vendors were out in force. The starting area smelled of grilled sausage and roast chicken. I wasn’t nervous, but food was the last thing on my mind. I’d eaten a fruit yogurt 3 hours before and felt light, ready to run.
At the gun, everyone took off like jackrabbits, and I quickly found myself dead last. These people were out for blood! Even the non-elites pulled out way ahead. But I didn’t panic. Ran slowly through the first 1.5 kilometers, before settling into a pace I thought I could keep for an hour. (I’d run a measured 10k in training a few times, so I had an idea of a doable pace.)
My first surprise came about 15 minutes into the race. No distance markers! Instead, the race staff called out the distance—once in awhile. The second surprise was the course itself. Although super flat, it quickly veered off the main street and snaked through side streets, turning left and right seemingly at random. This left me a bit disoriented, with only a vague idea of where I was in relation to the finish line. So I didn’t feel confident about speeding up. My pace felt right, but I wasn’t far from my limit, either.
At 30 minutes, I passed a knot of about six people that had been several yards in front of me since the start. I didn’t have the impression I was speeding up. But they were certainly starting to slow down. Four of them dropped out about 5 minutes later.
For most of the race I just cruised along pushing the envelope as much as I dared. With no racing experience, I was concerned about not having enough in the tank to finish and that I might cramp or pull something if I tried to overtly accelerate. Not knowing exactly where I was in relation to the finish line was particularly unsettling.
The course may have been strange, but the crowds were wonderful. People thronged the sidewalks, waving and cheering. The less athletically inclined raised their glasses as I passed the sidewalk cafes. Cameras regularly flashed. More than a few people sitting in front of their houses offered me beer.
It was a pretty lonely race all the same. There were runners a few minutes ahead and behind me, leaving me to make my way alone--practially on autopilot. As night came on, I was sweating freely, breathing more deeply but felt in control. Some friends later told me that I looked “serene”. Maybe, but the general race experience was more like running down a long, long corridor.
As I came onto the main street for the last time, I had an instant of mild panic. Where was the finish line? I was going to try for a final “kick”, but I didn’t know where to kick to! Then I remembered the finish was still a half kilometer away, hidden behind some buildings. I had to make one more turn before it came into view. There was still a crowd lining the finish, so I dug in and sprinted the last hundred yards. Figured if I was going to collapse, I wanted to go out in style.
But I held up over the finish line and wobbled around the area for a few minutes until heat and sweat hit me like a hammer. In spite of it now being night and with fogged-up glasses, I managed to find something to drink and liberally douse myself with cold water.
# # #
Since this was my first race, I’m not too disappointed with my time. I’m more disappointed that I bascially ran it alone. Too out of shape to stay with the pack, I guess. But it was a great learning experience. And it showed me I have a lot of work to do before I can hit a ‘decent’ time (sub-60).
It’s now 2 days after the race, I’m tired and my thighs are tender. I may be a glutton for punishment, but I want to do it again. There’s another 10k near me on June 27. The course has some hills, but it’s practically next door to my house. I’ve run even the steepest course hills before, but never trained on them. Since I’m still a new runner, I haven’t done any kind of speed work yet. Just been concentrating on building a base. Should I start tempo runs now? I probably should start running longer, too. Any other training suggestions?
Thanks for reading.
Paul

Hey Paul - congratulations on your first race. It sounds like you ran a very smart race! Well done!
Between now and your next one I would not worry about tempo work yet. You are going to make your biggest gains by just running more. I am guessing that you have run more than your log shows Try to run consistantly and increase you mileage slowly. At this point you just need to increase your fitness base.
Give us an idea of what you have been doing and you will probably get suggestions - hopefully not too conflicting!

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

Nice goin, Captain
If you had run that race here you would have probably beaten a third of the field, and in some cases more than half It sounds like the French take their racing seriously.
I woudn't worry about speed work now and just keeping trying to build a base. Once or twice a week you could throw in a few accelerations of 20-30 seconds each. Make them "comfortably fast" but do not sprint.
Try 20-30 min of light jogging after a harder effort and it will help you to recover better. Good luck in your next one.

Thanks, Ennay!
I may have run a smart race, but I still felt pretty dumb. Please tell me it gets better!
I agree that I need to work on my base. BTW all my running is in my public log. I try for 4-5 runs a week. The week of the race I took it really easy, though. Could that have hurt me?
Cheers,
Paul

If you had run that race here you would have probably beaten a third of the field, and in some cases more than half It sounds like the French take their racing seriously..

Echoing what Jim said...2 years ago (almost exactly) I ran a 10K and finished in 1:08:22 and was #290/448 so still beat over 1/3. Your time would have put you at #231 - or just below 50%.
Also I noted you said some of the people who you passed dropped out when they couldnt maintain their too fast pace. So be proud that you didnt get suckered in to running too fast at the beginning. Most beginners arent able to hold back when the crowd takes off like that.
It will get a lot better, really it will, the more experience you have the more comfortable it will feel running your own race and not worry about the pack. You will start to figure out what works best for you as far as pre-race week running (for a 10K I will do a 3 day taper at most, if any) Also you can start to know which races will be more and less fun. And if you stick with it you will get faster

I have become Death, the destroyer of electronic gadgets

"When I got too tired to run anymore I just pretended I wasnt tired and kept running anyway" - dd, age 7

Nice Job Captain Atom! I think it really cool that you decided to run a 10K as your first race, most people in the US start off with a 5K then work up the a 10K. Looks like you're running program is solid 30 to 60 min runs 4-5 times a week? I would just keep it up!

Echoing what Jim said...2 years ago (almost exactly) I ran a 10K and finished in 1:08:22 and was #290/448 so still beat over 1/3. Your time would have put you at #231 - or just below 50%.
Also I noted you said some of the people who you passed dropped out when they couldnt maintain their too fast pace. So be proud that you didnt get suckered in to running too fast at the beginning. Most beginners arent able to hold back when the crowd takes off like that.

You just made my day, Ennay! I would've loved to have that hypothetical placement. If I keep at it (and I will!), who knows? I also have you guys here on RA to thank for not starting too fast at the beginning. I can't tell you how many posts I read that had, "...if only I started slower" or "Whatever you do, don't take off like a shot." Message understood: start fast, finish last--or not at all.
Paul

Nice Job Captain Atom! I think it really cool that you decided to run a 10K as your first race, most people in the US start off with a 5K then work up the a 10K. Looks like you're running program is solid 30 to 60 min runs 4-5 times a week? I would just keep it up!

Thanks, Joe!
In hindsight, I don't think the 10k was probably the best for a first race. It was damned hard! But I figured if I could do it without too much pain in training, why not do a race? Oh, the innocence of beginners! Also, the race was only about a mile from my house and the course was flat. I may have been a bit too eager, but it worked out fine in the end.
The next 10k I'm gunning for is June 27. Also very close to home. And this one has hills. At least I know what kind of workouts I'll be doing for the next month.
Paul

Eustace Tierney

YoYo

posted: 6/2/2008 at 3:46 AM

Well done Captain!
Keep it up. Running is the most rewarding sport you can do.

"The will to win means nothing without the will to prepare." Goals: Keep on running!